MiLB announces June Players of the Month
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida -- Minor League Baseball today announced the Player of the Month Award winners for each of the 10 full-season leagues for the month of June. Each winner will receive an award from Minor League Baseball in recognition of the honor.Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees) outfielder Aaron Judge hit .343
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida -- Minor League Baseball today announced the Player of the Month Award winners for each of the 10 full-season leagues for the month of June. Each winner will receive an award from Minor League Baseball in recognition of the honor.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees) outfielder Aaron Judge hit .343 in June and led the International League in home runs (nine), runs scored (30) and on-base percentage (.477). He finished in the top three in RBIs (25), extra-base hits (16), total bases (70), walks (21) and slugging percentage (.686). He reached base in all but three of the 28 games he played in and recorded 11 multi-hit games. Judge, 24, was selected by New York in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Fresno State University.
Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) right fielder Kyle Jensen led professional baseball with 39 RBIs in June and led the Pacific Coast League in home runs (10), total bases (75) and extra-base hits (20). Jensen recorded 11 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games in June, driving in three or more runs on eight occasions. Jensen, 28, was selected by Miami in the 12th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of Saint Mary's College and signed with Arizona as a free agent on Nov. 11, 2015.
Reading Fightin Phils (Phillies) first baseman Rhys Hoskins led the Eastern League in home runs (nine), RBIs (33), total bases (87), extra-base hits (22), slugging (.784) and OPS (1.198). His 39 hits and 26 runs were good for second in the league and he posted 13 multi-hit games in June. Hoskins, 23, was selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Sacramento State University.
Chattanooga Lookouts (Twins) outfielder Daniel Palka led all full-season leagues (including Major League Baseball) with a .802 slugging percentage and tied for the professional baseball lead with 13 home runs in June. Palka led the Southern League in extra-base hits (19), total bases (77), runs (20), RBIs (30), slugging and OPS (1.174). Palka, 24, was selected by Arizona in the third round of the 2013 draft out of Georgia Tech, and was traded to the Twins on Nov. 10, 2015.
Springfield Cardinals right-hander Luke Weaver went 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA in five starts in June. Weaver led the Texas League with 37 strikeouts while walking just three batters. Weaver, 22, was selected by St. Louis in the first round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Florida State University.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) right fielder Franmil Reyes led the California League in total bases (59), extra-base hits (17), RBIs (27) and doubles (11). Reyes, who turns 21 tomorrow, recorded three five-game hitting streaks in June and had seven games with multiple RBI. Reyes was signed by the Padres as a non-drafted free agent on Nov. 1, 2011, out of Palenque, Dominican Republic.
Frederick Keys (Orioles) left fielder Conor Bierfeldt led the Carolina League in home runs (eight), RBIs (25), total bases (54), extra-base hits (14) and slugging (.628) in June. He homered in consecutive games twice (June 7-9 and 12-13) and homered in three straight games from June 27-29. Bierfeldt, 25, was selected by Baltimore in the 29th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Western Connecticut State University.
Fort Myers Miracle (Twins) right-hander Felix Jorge went 5-0 with a 1.59 ERA in five starts to capture Florida State League Player of the Month honors. Jorge struck out 31 in his league-best 34.0 innings, while walking just two. He tied for the league lead with two complete games in June and threw a shutout against Brevard County on June 10. Jorge, 22, was signed by Minnesota as a non-drafted free agent on Feb. 21, 2011 out of Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Lake County Captains (Indians) catcher Francisco Mejia led the Midwest League in average (.429), total bases (60), slugging (.714) and OPS (1.175, .200 points higher than the next player), and was second in on-base percentage (.461), home runs (six) and hits (36). Mejia, 20, was recently promoted to Advanced-A Lynchburg and was signed by Cleveland as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2012, out of Bani, Dominican Republic.
Greensboro Grasshoppers (Marlins) right-hander Chris Paddack dominated the South Atlantic League in June, posting a 0.93 ERA in four starts as he allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out 32 in 19.1 innings. Paddack, 20, was traded to the San Diego Padres on June 30 and is riding a 15-inning no-hit streak as he joins the Padres organization with Fort Wayne in the Midwest League. Paddack was selected by Miami in the eighth round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Cedar Park, Texas High School.